Page 76 of A Fractured Song

Traveling through Aeltas with Zev was the opposite. The countryside they’d seen wasn’t quite as rich as Zev’s region, but there were no storms, no fires, no faltering harvests. On the contrary, it seemed like every second town they passed through was experiencing notable good fortune. In one village where they spent the night at a tiny inn, the residents were attempting to dig a new well, with no success in finding water. When they rose in the morning to continue their journey, everyone was celebrating as a previously discarded site had been found to abut an underwater spring.

In another area, they were stopped for lunch at a tavern when news spread that fishermen at a nearby lake had pulled in a catch that broke all previous records. The owner of the boat was so happy that he bought a round of ale for everyone present, as the town celebrated the weeks of benefit that would follow. It was only the following day that they shared a leg of the journey with a miller’s assistant who was full of delight over the unusually high wind that was sweeping through the area, and which he was sure would enable his employer to recover from the backlog that had been caused by his windmill requiring extensive repair a short time before.

Or there was the time they were caught in a heavydownpour, but couldn’t bring themselves to complain about getting wet when the locals were so pleased to have a dry spell broken, just in time to remove anxiety about the area’s most lucrative crops.

Each time, Zev shrugged off Marieke’s comments about the run of good luck following them, but his nonchalance only made her own suspicions grow. It felt like too clear a pattern to be ignored.

The coach moved steadily south as the afternoon wore on. By the time they disembarked at the furthest point south on its route, the thick jungle that dominated the southern part of Aeltas loomed before them. A tiny town was perched only a stone’s throw from the first thick-trunked trees, and it was in the town’s dusty square that they found themselves.

The other passengers didn’t alight, evidently intending to stay on the coach as it turned westward and skirted the forest’s edge. But the driver did hop down for a moment to pull out a crate from the storage area at the back of the vehicle. Without a word to them, he deposited it on the grass next to a stone bench, then climbed back onto his seat. Before their bemused eyes, the carriage disappeared around a bend.

“What’s that?” Marieke asked, staring at the crate.

Zev looked around. “No idea. But it looks like someone’s coming to get it.”

Marieke followed his gaze to see a boy ambling around the edge of a nearby building. He whistled as he walked, a pleasant tune that made her want to sing along. But she wouldn’t rush to identify herself as a singer before finding out more about their environment.

The boy stopped when he caught sight of them, his initial surprise replaced by curiosity.

“Hello. Did you just get off the coach?”

“We did,” Zev answered. “Can you direct us to the inn, please?”

The boy chuckled. “No inn here. We’re a tiny town.” He strode forward the rest of the way, bending down to test the crate. “Heavy one this time.” He cast a speculative eye over Zev. “Care to give me a hand?”

“Sure.” Zev lifted the crate absently, showing no great strain over bearing its whole weight himself. “Where am I taking it?”

“To the store,” the boy said, leading the way. “Well, store’s a bit generous. It’s just the front room of me grampa’s house. But it’s been the only shop in town long’s I’ve been alive. The coach usually drops us off some kind of supplies.”

“So there’s nowhere we can stay in town?” Zev asked.

Marieke shot him a look. “Do we want to stay in town?”

Zev shrugged. “Not if you’re ready to brave the jungle, I suppose. But it’ll be dark in a few hours. Do you definitely want to camp tonight?”

Marieke didn’t answer, wiping a trickle of sweat from her forehead as she pulled her rucksack more tightly over her shoulder. The climate had warmed considerably as they’d headed south. The air was becoming quite thick, and she wasn’t used to it. Given the whole thing was her idea, she didn’t want to admit to Zev how nervous she felt about braving the unfamiliar terrain of the humid southern jungle.

“Going into the jungle, are you?” The boy cast another curious glance at them. “No need to be scared about it. A lot of people have superstitions, but it’s not so scary, really.”

“No?” Marieke pressed, trying not to sound too relieved.

“Nah, if you stay on the main road, you’ll be fine. It cuts through the middle of the jungle. Well,” he paused, “notrightthrough the middle. It’s quite a ways west of the middle. But it gets you right through to the southerncoast just fine.”

“We don’t want to go to the southern coast,” said Zev. “The jungle is our destination.”

“Oh?” The boy eyed him. “Visiting one of the villages along the main road, are you?”

“Aren’t there villages away from the main road?” Marieke asked.

He shook his head. “Nope. Not a one. You gotta stay on the main road in the jungle. Or at least near it. There’d be no point straying from it anyway.”

“Why?” Zev asked, frowning. “Because we’d get lost?”

“Or eaten by something?” Marieke added. The question had slipped out—hopefully they’d think she was trying to be funny.

“I suppose there are things in there that can eat you.” The boy scratched his chin. “But not so long’s you stay on the main road.”

“You really love this road,” Zev said dryly.

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